This is a writing prompt. Bet you can’t do it! Take the 10 random words below and crush writer’s block by creating a cohesive, creative short story! And remember: after (if) you finish entering your submission into the comment field, highlight your words and click the bold button to make them stand out and help you determine if you forgot any words. (If you’ve missed previous writing prompts, we BET YOU CAN’T do those, either.) NOTE: Our bolding plugin is gone, so you’ll have to put before and after each of your challenge words if you want them to stand out, but NOT REQUIRED THOUGH! Or, as cleverly done by a CCC-er you can CAPITALIZE the challenge words in your piece.

I am beginning to invite others to be the author of a week’s list of words, that means you too! All you have to do is email me at TheHandMaiden_Kathleen@hotmail.com

Plugged

Commercial

Highway

Glass

Insurance

Highlights

View

Sonic

Trust

Rewards

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10 Comments on “Writing Prompt – Creative Copy Challenge #503”

The insurance industry has a business model that is pluggable into modern Internet marketing. I know this because when I was fired from Acme Commercial Trust, I landed on my feet with a small-time web service for “cleaning and protecting” PCs. I send prospects a lengthy application, promise them big rewards and then proceed to commit highway robbery on a monthly basis.

Everything was fine until I got greedy. Though my business was thriving, I took the view that I never, ever wanted to be broke. I dug into my old insurance training manuals, looking for new lines of business. Believe it or not, I found one: “sonic booms.”

I did some studying, thinking and scheming. Eventually, I came up with a complex rider. The highlights were very specific damages for which my service would pay out. Most of them were legit, like rootkit viruses, but the FTC nailed me for including zika virus contamination and exploding glass coverage.

Mitch, you took an angle that never occurred to me. I like the way you worked in “pluggable.” Not the easiest word to use. And the notion of ‘sonic boom’ insurance feels like just the kinds of crazy leads you get these days.

You took the car on the highway. Well, you know you shouldn’t have done that, the insurance being cancelled and all. But you’d read the statistics, or anyway heard somebody say something about them, how most accidents happen within three miles of home. The on-ramp was lots further away than that so your view was that since you’d got that far, you were home free.

When the doctor shining a pen light in your eyes asks you if you recall anything about the accident, you remember a noise like a sonic boom and watching the windshield come apart crack by crack. You see the glass flying out away from you and the highlights from the sun twinkling on it, like it’s a bucket full of jewels. You smile at him and start singing “Judy in the Sky With Diamonds” but it hurts your throat so you stop after the first verse.

Your sister comes to visit. She does that thing she always does with her hands to keep from crying. Her knuckles and her eyes are both red. Ever since your mom died last winter when the heat went off and the old bat was too proud to call you, she’s been meddling in your life. “Mom put her trust in me,” she says. “I hope she’s got plenty of rewards waiting for you in Heaven,” you say.

The inside of the back of your skull starts to ache. Its too much of an effort to inventory your body parts. You’ll do that after you get some rest. Just looking at all the tubes and bags and bandages going into your body makes you tired. It reminds you of those pluggable things you have all over the house, what’s the word for them, the ones that pop the circuit breakers when you turn on the T.V. and the radio at the same time.

Your room has a nice T.V. but your sister is blocking your view. You raise your hand just enough to motion her aside so you can see the commercial about how if you’ve been injured in an accident, these guys can get you lots of money. You look around for something to write down their number with but there’s nothing close by. No matter, you smile as you drift back off. You’ll get their number next time around.